Posted on 02/28/2016 11:40:05 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
The stakes in 2016 are huge and the party is fractured. The rhetoric reflects a Trump Derangement Syndrome in which Trump is either a monster or a savior, instead of a politician. On the left, Bush Derangement Syndrome expressed itself in the conviction that he was unalterably and uniquely worse than every other president and would get around to declaring martial law and ruling forever.
The danger of exaggeration is that previously unacceptable views suddenly become acceptable. Bush Derangement Syndrome made it acceptable for Democrats to descend into open treason by making common cause with Saddam Hussein, the Sunni terrorist groups that evolved into ISIS and Assad.
Bush Derangement Syndrome made him seem so terrible that every other evil could be justified by comparison. The exaggeration of Trump Derangement Syndrome is doing that all over again.
Trump Derangement Syndrome is driving some conservatives to call for destroying the Republican Party and conservatism, and even to usher in eight years of left-wing rule, in order to stop Trump.
Under pressure from Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton is now adopting positions well to the left of Obama. On racial issues, she’s already more extreme than he is. Ponder that for a minute. Both Democratic candidates are now airing blatantly racist views about white privilege. Sanders and Clinton are also scrambling to get to the left of Obama on terrorism, socialized medicine and a raft of other issues.
The switch from “Anyone But Hillary” to “Anyone But Trump” is a sign of fundamentally misplaced priorities.
Political campaigns can get ugly and Trump’s style is, at times, to get as nasty as possible, but it’s a sign of misplaced insider priorities to allow personal animus to matter more than the war against the left. It’s not unreasonable for some conservatives to be angry at Trump and his tactics. It is unreasonable to let that anger turn into a petulance that would let the left rule the nation for another eight years.
We are not in the conservative movement to settle our personal scores. Stopping Trump at any cost is not acceptable just as stopping Romney or McCain at any cost was not considered to be acceptable. Conservatives cannot always have conservative candidates or achieve conservative policy goals. But they can still prevent the left from winning a complete victory in any given election.
Bush Derangement Syndrome began when Democrats decided not to accept the results of an election. Everything else emerged naturally, logically and treasonously from that conclusion. Trump Derangement Syndrome is a preemptive call not to accept the results of political primaries in the Republican Party.
Proponents of the “Anybody But Trump” school argue that his nomination would be catastrophic for conservatism. That may be true, but conservatism as a national program is more likely to survive Trump than it is Hillary or Sanders.
There are important lessons in the rise of Trump. Learning those lessons would make conservatives stronger, not weaker. And refusing to learn those lessons will not make conservatism any stronger.
The most basic of those lessons is to fight hard. Voters choose fighters over ideological purists. That’s human nature and conservatives, unlike liberals, have always recognized the reality of human nature. If conservatives want to win ideological victories, they have to fight harder politically, but without losing sight of the things that they are fighting for above the ordinary pettiness of the political contest.
Trump Derangement Syndrome is obsessive and unhealthy. Critics match what they see as Trump’s inflated sense of self-importance with an equal conviction of his importance as a destroyer. But Trump cannot destroy the conservative movement. Only conservatives can do that.
Bush Derangement Syndrome destroyed the Democratic Party. Even moderate Democrats were suddenly willing to make common cause with the most radical elements of the left and Islam out of the conviction that President Bush had to be stopped at any cost. They lost sight of the real threats to the country, handed over their political party to leftist radicals and billionaires, and gave us Obama.
Trump Derangement Syndrome could give the country eight years of Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Or someone even worse. Conservatives understand human weaknesses and the importance of overcoming them. Trump Derangement Syndrome is not a conservative response. And if it allows the left to win, then it becomes treason against conservative ideals and the conservative movement.
You know, there is actually a slight physical resemblance between the two. Interestingly, Churchill’s mother was a Brooklyn-born American, while Trump’s was a Brit (Scottish).
Well-stated. It always comes back to greed and money, doesn’t it?
Hey, thanks for that link!
Greenfield is one of the most intelligent, reasoned conservatives writing today, and it perhaps the only writer as witty as Mark Steyn. Many freepers have been reading him for years, thanks to freeper Louis Foxwell’s frequent pings. This article is spot on.
More BS from Cruz whackos.
Cruz is my guy. If Trump is the nominee, he’d be wise to select Cruz as his VP; not because he likes Cruz, but because it would be his best insurance policy agaist impeachment.
There are a number of bases on which Trump could be impeached, baased on his past; and there will be more if he becomes President. Cruz is probably the only person that is unpopular enough with the establishment to the point they’d prefer Trump over Cruz.
I see a resemblance between Churchill and Trump in their unwavering resolve. A kind of grim determination.
No way Trump needs to become president. He has it made, wonderful wife, wonderful family. He is doing this thankless job for the Country and The People. This was also Churchills motivation as Prime Minister. Trump may bring America into its finest hour. It depends on who Trump chooses for a cabinet, as did Churchill’s destiny.
Thank you AB. Missed this one. Ping to the list:
Who is AB? :-)
“Why would Bill Clinton tell that to Donald Trump, knowing that his wife would be running for the nomination under the Democratic Party banner and against the GOP nominee?”
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“Trump Derangement Syndrome is driving some conservatives to call for destroying the Republican Party and conservatism, and even to usher in eight years of left-wing rule, in order to stop Trump.
The switch from “Anyone But Hillary” to “Anyone But Trump” is a sign of fundamentally misplaced priorities.”
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I could not agree more with these statements.
Now, even Ted Cruz says that he will support whomever the Republican nominee is - how can his supporters, whom believe that Cruz deeply loves this country, do otherwise? Clearly, you vote for whoever it is that you really favor in the primaries, but when it comes to the General Election, you vote against the worst person...and this year, it is CLEAR AS DAY that Hillary is that worst person.
Al Bionwilde, for course!
AB is a figment of my demented brain, sorry Albion Wilde (AW).
am listening now to the link in your tagline
Stephan Miller is a Jeff Sessions staffer who is with the Trump campaign now....loaned out whatever. Its all good!
You’re gong to look mighty funny without a nose.
L
The DC old Post Office is a beautiful building. It did not succeed as a higher end venue of many retail businesses. It probably will as a hotel if the Willard is succeeding. He may figure that if the White House is too old fashioned for his tastes he can have a modern luxury apartment there like his one in NY. Trump knows that for certain kinds of shoppers, a grand atrium with soaring spaces works. OPO has that kind of “waste” space.
The business about his kids makes sense. His own father took him out on the job all the time. After graduating from Wharton he went out on the job and quickly decided that standing to the side of doors and reaching around to knock so that you wouldn’t get shot was not the lifestyle he wanted. So he quickly tried to get involved in the Manhattan real estate market, with much subsequent success. Nevertheless he incorporated his fathers values of—work hard, come in under budget, finish under time, and keep your buildings clean and neat.
Regarding bankruptcy there are four kinds—two for individuals and families (7 and 13), and two for businesses (11 businesses and 12 farmers & fishermen). Seven is the only one where most debt gets wiped out and not paid. The others are all forms for restructuring debt by court order so that there is a reasonable chance of paying it all off. My brother used chapter 13 when his profession was facing a tight economic market and he eventually paid off all his creditors. Here is a link:
http://www.ms-bankruptcy.com/bankruptcy-info/differences
The GOPe believes that the conservatives are unhappy with the establishment's performance.
No we are seething.
Thanks Louis
I don’t call it naivete (in general about people with TDS), I call it willful blindness and extreme hatred for whatever they think Trump represents (known only to themselves and their minds).
Sounds more exotic that way, I guess!
No prob. Just yankin’ your chain, FRiend.
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